Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko

2007 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI RECIPIENT

PhD 1984, Physical Education

Since 2007, Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko spent the past twenty years focusing on the effect of exercise and physical activity on the health and quality of life in old age. Chodzko-Zajko currently serves as head of the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In addition to his responsibilities at UIUC, Chodzko-Zajko actively participates on several major professional advisory boards to disseminate information about healthy aging. In 1996, he was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) and charged with developing WHO Guidelines for Physical Activity Among Older Persons. He recently served on a WHO taskforce that extended this work by developing a strategy for integrating physical activity into a more comprehensive program of active aging.

Wojtek is the Principal Investigator on a series of projects charged with developing a national strategy for promoting healthy aging in the U.S. The National Blueprint: Increasing Physical Activity Among Adults Age 50 and Older serves as a guide for multiple organizations, associations, and agencies to inform and support their work related to increasing physical activity among America’s aging populations.

Chodzko-Zajko is president of the International Society for the Aging and Physical Activity and was recently appointed to the President’s Council of the Physical Fitness and Sports Science Board. He also served as the founding editor of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity (1992-2002), and is an active member of several national organizations and companies, including the American Council on Exercise, Life Fitness, and Theraband. In addition, Chodzko-Zajko shares his expertise across the world as a keynote speaker at a variety of meetings, and through media outlets such as the Today Show (NBC), National Public Radio, and CNN.